Apple’s Ping gains a million users in first two days

We’re still trying to figure out exactly what Apple’s new Ping social network is good for, but apparently quite a few people are curious about it: it’s already racked up a million users in its first two days. That’s just a third of the people who’ve downloaded iTunes 10, so we’re sure the numbers are will grow even faster as more people snag iTunes and the network effect starts to kick in — and things will get really crazy if Apple and Facebook ever work out their little tiff. Just remember: it’s a social network… for music.

Apple’s Ping gains a million users in first two days originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceApple  | Email this | Comments

All Things D: Facebook blocked Apple’s Ping service for unauthorized use

We’d already heard whispers that Apple had to yank Facebook Connect integration from its new Ping music network because the connection was being denied by Facebook, and now Kara Swisher at All Things D is confirming it — and she’s saying Facebook shut down access on purpose after Apple used the find-your-friends API without permission. Juicy! Here’s the deal: Facebook’s friend-finding API is generally open access, but anyone that wants to hit it an extreme number of times has to sign a deal agreeing to protect Facebook user data and limit network impact. Given the sheer size of the iTunes customer base, it’s no surprise that Facebook wanted such a deal, but apparently negotiations broke down — possibly over what Steve Jobs referred to as “onerous terms” — and Apple decided to just go ahead and use the API anyway. (Which, truth be told, is pretty in character for Apple.) Facebook then blocked access, Apple had to scramble to clean up all the Facebook references, and here we are. Only possibly not for long: Swisher also says Apple and Facebook are still negotiating, and Facebook Connect might eventually reappear in Ping. There is no word when Ping might actually be useful or interesting, however.

All Things D: Facebook blocked Apple’s Ping service for unauthorized use originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAll Things D  | Email this | Comments

Follow Engadget on the new and improved Digg… you know you want to

You may have noticed that Digg got a pretty major overhaul yesterday. One of the nice aspects of the improved site is that it’s a little more social than its previous incarnation. So if you’re in the market for someone new to follow on Digg… well, you could always hit up Engadget on Digg. You probably won’t regret it. You can also follow Engadget on Twitter and Facebook, too!

Follow Engadget on the new and improved Digg… you know you want to originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

SNAP for iOS gives you The Power… to appraise your Facebook privacy

SNAP (Social Network Analyzer for Privacy) by BIT Systems does one thing, and one thing only: it looks at your Facebook profile and then “grades you on how visible you are to the outside world.” Of course, you can always just go into Facebook itself and look at your privacy settings, which would save you the steps of downloading an app and using it to login to your account, but at least the thing is free. And it does provide a handy and thorough tutorial on Facebook privacy in general. Hit the source link to take it for a spin.

Continue reading SNAP for iOS gives you The Power… to appraise your Facebook privacy

SNAP for iOS gives you The Power… to appraise your Facebook privacy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceApp Store  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft’s Kin saves a Roots show: a touching recollection by Questlove

The Kin may be dead and buried, but you can bet that the legacy of Microsoft’s biggest failure in the phone market will live long in the minds of technophiles. What you probably wouldn’t bet, however, is how it’ll also live long in the mind of famed Roots drummer Questlove. You heard right — the same beat maker that was caught FaceTiming with our own Josh Topolsky during a recent sit-down on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has a special place in his heart for the fallen phone series, and he’s taken the time to pen a memoir detailing the reasons why. Undoubtedly an avid visitor of the (temporarily down) Kin R.I.P. web memorial, Questlove was recently held up behind a team of brats at the airport. As the story goes, even arriving 75 minutes early to his flight wasn’t enough to clear through on a flight to Canada, leaving him in quite the pickle. If he didn’t hop on this bird, his band mates would be struggling to please fans sans a drummer. As is so often the case these days, Quest ran into a particularly perturbed airline agent who wasn’t about to bend in order to get him onboard; rather than name-dropping himself, he simply agreed to have his photo taken with a smattering of fans who just happened to waltz by during his pleading.

Suddenly, the light popped on in the mind of the agent: “OMG! You are the guy in the Kin commercial… I see that commercial all the time!” Needless to say, Quest’s ego took a serious hit, but he did manage to catch his flight and make the show in the Great White North. He told his manager that it was the “Kin commercial he almost passed on” that got him to the show, and closed with a simple remark: “R.I.P. Kin.” Hit those source links for the full skinny — it’s a compelling read, we assure you. Oh, and that aforesaid ad is embedded just past the break.

Continue reading Microsoft’s Kin saves a Roots show: a touching recollection by Questlove

Microsoft’s Kin saves a Roots show: a touching recollection by Questlove originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTwitLonger [Questlove], Twitter [@questlove], Kin R.I.P.  | Email this | Comments

How would you change Microsoft’s Kin One and Two?

Hey! Microsoft debuted two new phones earlier this year! Remember that? Okay, so there’s a fair chance that Microsoft actually moved fewer Kin One / Two handsets than Fusion Garage did JooJoo tablets, but we’re pretty confident that a few of you fell for the whole “my life is so social, so I’m buying in” thing. We’re still personally trying to figure out why the full Windows Phone 7 wasn’t used here instead of an OS that’ll likely be forgotten by the time you finish reading this, but enough of our rambling — this space is all about you. Did you pick up one of the Kin brothers? How’s the experience? Are you still kosher with paying the same data plan price as future Droid X users? Have you gained more friends than you know what to do with? Starred in your own commercial? Tell us below, tweeps.

How would you change Microsoft’s Kin One and Two? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

iPhone OS 4 to include Facebook video uploads?

We already knew that Apple was likely ratcheting up the social networking integration in iOS 4 — that is, if the addition of Linked Contacts and .plist entries referring to Facebook means anything (and it probably does). Adding further flame to the fire, the gang at 9to5Mac.com have dug up a bit of code that appears to handle video exporting to the popular social networking site. As near as we can tell, users will be able to send files at 480 x 480, 30 FPS — and since Facebook is already using HTML5, you won’t have that pesky Steve Jobs / Flash thing to worry about.

iPhone OS 4 to include Facebook video uploads? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  source9 to 5 Mac  | Email this | Comments

Comcast’s Tunerfish adds social media check-ins to your TV watching

Comcast’s Plaxo acquisition has borne fruit beyond its social media address book roots with Tunerfish, aimed at pulling social networking features and TV into one website. Currently in closed alpha, it lets TV watchers note what they’re watching and share with others, Foursquare style. No word on what being “mayor” of Chuck gets you (if it’s not a discount at Subway we’ll be disappointed) but the idea is to be able to keep an eye on what’s trending amongst the larger pool of viewers or just your friends (who, presumably, have similar tastes. Of course there’s Facebook and Twitter integration, and an iPhone app will be available when the beta launches in the next few weeks. Notably absent at this time is any Comcast branding, so it should be wide open no matter where you get your TV broadcasts from, but given the company’s interests in bringing together internet and TV we wouldn’t be surprised to see some Xfinity labeling work its way in sooner or later. Check out an epic 35-minute video interview with Robert Scoble (embedded after the break, demo starts about 10 minutes in) for more info, or just go ahead and sign up for the latest updates on the official site. It’s like we always say — if your followers & friends didn’t want to know what you were doing every second of every day, then why did they add you in the first place?

Continue reading Comcast’s Tunerfish adds social media check-ins to your TV watching

Comcast’s Tunerfish adds social media check-ins to your TV watching originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 24 May 2010 20:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceScobleizer  | Email this | Comments

Ford, U-M students send socially-connected Fiestas on cross-country roadtrip, aim to become Mayor of the USA

Ford is certainly no stranger to internet-connected cars, but it looks like it’s now truly stepped up its game with a little help from some University of Michigan students, who have teamed up to send two Fiestas on a socially-networked, cross-country road trip. The two cars (part of the American Journey 2.0 project) apparently each pack a similar trunk-full of gear — including both WiMAX and EV-DO modems, and a 2.6 GHz PC with an 80GB SSD hard drive — and they’ll each be testing out a number of different applications developed by Ford and the students. Those include the UMich-developed Caravan app, which allows the two cars to communicate with each other during the trip, and three different Ford-developed social networking apps, which will let the cars blog and tweet their progress and, yes, even check in on Foursquare each time they make a stop. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and be sure to hit up the Autoblog link below for a closer look at the cars themselves.

Continue reading Ford, U-M students send socially-connected Fiestas on cross-country roadtrip, aim to become Mayor of the USA

Ford, U-M students send socially-connected Fiestas on cross-country roadtrip, aim to become Mayor of the USA originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAutoblog  | Email this | Comments

InstantAction goes live with browser-based gaming model

Remember InstantAction? You know, that startup that debuted at GDC in an effort to take on OnLive and catch the world ablaze with browser-based embedded gaming? If you’ve forgotten the dirty-dirty on this here company, be sure and give our prior hands-on a look; once you’re up to speed, you may be interested in knowing that the company’s first weekend in business (in the consumer’s eye, anyway) is this one you’re living in right now. The new “direct-to-consumer online video game distribution service” has gone live with LucasArts’ The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, enabling gamers to embed full titles into blogs, Facebook profiles and pretty much any other site that’ll handle an HTML embed string. The magic involves a delicate mix of in-browser, thin-client, and progressive downloading technologies, and while this title may not float your boat, the concept could be gold for indie developers looking to reach directly to potential clients. Head on past the break for the full release, not to mention a play-by-play of how to try this thing out.

Continue reading InstantAction goes live with browser-based gaming model

InstantAction goes live with browser-based gaming model originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 May 2010 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceInstantAction  | Email this | Comments